Larissa Lai's When Fox is a Thousand
There's something peculiar and knowing that comes over me when I'm reading something set in the city I live in, Vancouver, British Columbia. Knowing the neighborhoods, streets, and landmarks in a novel really can leave a lasting impact while reading. I got a bit of that while reading this great book over...was it already January when I started reading this? I finished it in late February. That's besides the point. Where was I?
Oh yeah. Knowing the area and the mix of people in the population of an area because I live in it has been a blessing for me while reading a few books set in Vancouver. Interestingly, this book and The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy, set in Vancouver during the 1920s-mid 40s, have both left a lasting impression on me. I think this is because they both deal with Asians of some variety while living in Vancouver. Choy's book was very much so about the connection between the culture of the country of the older generation co-existing and blending with the culture of the Canadian born children who feel part of Canada but live in a Canadian society isn't quite ready to accept them because of their ethnicity. Lai's When Fox is a Thousand takes place in Vancouver between 1989 to probably 1995, or the present day according to the year of publication. The main characters are mostly young Asian Canadians that are living in the world of today. That means that mass immigration, globalization, and mass media, are amongst several factors that influence the characters in addition to whatever culture they've been brought up in. Their culture is a pastiche of everything they come into contact with. There's a clear sense of humor, self depreciating at times, towards "tradtional" Asian culture. Losing cultural heritage and the meaning of cultural heritage are recurring themes in the contemporary sections of the narrative. I love the whimsy of the sections about the "eternal fox" who is a trickster figure of sorts. The Fox gains the ability to reanimate corpses and inhabit the bodies of women as it ages. These sections are filled with mischief and sporadically real menace. There is also another thread to the novel discussing a female poet from the T'ang Dynasty of China that dovetails into the narrative of the "Eternal Fox". The chapters focused on this "Eternal Fox" connect the T'ang Dynasty narrative to the narrative happening in Vancouver in contemporary times.
This entry feels like a whole lot of word vomit thus far. I'll move onto my pros and cons.
pros: Great variety in the storytelling through the 3 narratives that eventually connect in an interesting manner. It depicts Vancouver with great detail that's quite vivid. The way that Lai infuses her characters with the unique mindset of grown children of Asian families is very well done. It doesn't even matter that most of the characters are gay or lesbian. Depicting a variety of attitudes and psychological demeanors with humanity and integrity. I love the playful and sometimes menacing whimsy of the mythological ageless fox that is immortal after a certain age.
cons: the manner in which the characters change in demeanor during the course of the narrative feels clumsy at times. For example, the main character in the contemporary Vancouver sections is a young woman named Artemis. Early on she is quite attracted to a male friend of hers. Later, she becomes a lesbian at the mere suggestion of if she ever considered being with a woman. After that comment, every intimate relationship is with a woman arbitrarily. The level of social connection between all the characters in the contemporary Vancouver sections, revealed over the course of the novel makes them all seem incestuous after a while. The T'ang Dynasty sections were a bit unclear in some sections. Particularly, in regards to whether we're still following the same female poet or someone else entirely different that happens to be around her.
In other words, some of writing seems rushed and clumsy. This is detrimental to the logic or suspension of belief necessary for parts of the novel. Overall, I quite enjoyed the book overall. The ageless Fox sections were fascinatingly humorous and mysterious simultaneously. Artemis and her friends are generally believable in characterization but developments in their lives are written a bit clumsy. T'ang Dynasty sections are also a mixed bag but are generally closer in tone to the ageless Fox sections. I think this is a good thing. Check it out if you happen to come across it.
Oh yeah. Knowing the area and the mix of people in the population of an area because I live in it has been a blessing for me while reading a few books set in Vancouver. Interestingly, this book and The Jade Peony by Wayson Choy, set in Vancouver during the 1920s-mid 40s, have both left a lasting impression on me. I think this is because they both deal with Asians of some variety while living in Vancouver. Choy's book was very much so about the connection between the culture of the country of the older generation co-existing and blending with the culture of the Canadian born children who feel part of Canada but live in a Canadian society isn't quite ready to accept them because of their ethnicity. Lai's When Fox is a Thousand takes place in Vancouver between 1989 to probably 1995, or the present day according to the year of publication. The main characters are mostly young Asian Canadians that are living in the world of today. That means that mass immigration, globalization, and mass media, are amongst several factors that influence the characters in addition to whatever culture they've been brought up in. Their culture is a pastiche of everything they come into contact with. There's a clear sense of humor, self depreciating at times, towards "tradtional" Asian culture. Losing cultural heritage and the meaning of cultural heritage are recurring themes in the contemporary sections of the narrative. I love the whimsy of the sections about the "eternal fox" who is a trickster figure of sorts. The Fox gains the ability to reanimate corpses and inhabit the bodies of women as it ages. These sections are filled with mischief and sporadically real menace. There is also another thread to the novel discussing a female poet from the T'ang Dynasty of China that dovetails into the narrative of the "Eternal Fox". The chapters focused on this "Eternal Fox" connect the T'ang Dynasty narrative to the narrative happening in Vancouver in contemporary times.
This entry feels like a whole lot of word vomit thus far. I'll move onto my pros and cons.
pros: Great variety in the storytelling through the 3 narratives that eventually connect in an interesting manner. It depicts Vancouver with great detail that's quite vivid. The way that Lai infuses her characters with the unique mindset of grown children of Asian families is very well done. It doesn't even matter that most of the characters are gay or lesbian. Depicting a variety of attitudes and psychological demeanors with humanity and integrity. I love the playful and sometimes menacing whimsy of the mythological ageless fox that is immortal after a certain age.
cons: the manner in which the characters change in demeanor during the course of the narrative feels clumsy at times. For example, the main character in the contemporary Vancouver sections is a young woman named Artemis. Early on she is quite attracted to a male friend of hers. Later, she becomes a lesbian at the mere suggestion of if she ever considered being with a woman. After that comment, every intimate relationship is with a woman arbitrarily. The level of social connection between all the characters in the contemporary Vancouver sections, revealed over the course of the novel makes them all seem incestuous after a while. The T'ang Dynasty sections were a bit unclear in some sections. Particularly, in regards to whether we're still following the same female poet or someone else entirely different that happens to be around her.
In other words, some of writing seems rushed and clumsy. This is detrimental to the logic or suspension of belief necessary for parts of the novel. Overall, I quite enjoyed the book overall. The ageless Fox sections were fascinatingly humorous and mysterious simultaneously. Artemis and her friends are generally believable in characterization but developments in their lives are written a bit clumsy. T'ang Dynasty sections are also a mixed bag but are generally closer in tone to the ageless Fox sections. I think this is a good thing. Check it out if you happen to come across it.
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